koehler



y 1956 w. J. KOEHLER 2,743,825

ANCHORING PLATE Filed June 6, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l [Mi/[lam c1 h oe/zler INVENTOR.

AGENT.

May 1, 1956 w. J. KOEHLER 2,743,825

ANCHORING PLATE Filed June 6, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 William c./. fL oe/zjer' INVENTOR.

BY Wm JAM AGENT.

y 1, 1956 w. J. KOEHLER 2,743,825

ANCHORING PLATE Filed June 6, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A (AN 29 [Mi/Nam d. hfoe/zler' INVENTOR.

AGENT- United States Patent O ANCHORING PLATE William J. Koehler, Babylon, Ni Application June 6, 1952, Serial No. 292,023

2 Claims. (Cl. 21410.5)

This invention relates generally to securing members and particularly to an anchoringdevice for disposition between bodies or containers which are stacked one upon another to prevent the relative lateral movement thereof.

Among its other objects the present invention contemplates a device which will positively maintain bodies in stacks or tiers while being moved or transported from place to place, as well as while stacked for storage.

To these ends the instant invention proposes a plate adapted to be attached to one of a tier or stack of bodies or containers and having a multiplicity of projections or teeth arranged to be imbedded in a fixed component of the next adjacent body or container in the stack ,or tier. This interengagement between the plate fixedly attached to one body or container and a component of the next adjacent body or container efiectivelyprevents any relative movement between such bodies or containers in parallel planes and yet permits them to be readily separated and said interengagement broken when this is desired.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a securing or anchoring device constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

Fig. 2 shows the present device applied to a plurality of containers stacked in multiple tiers and illustrates the manner in which it prevents relative parallel movement between the containers in a tier; and s Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1 attached to a container showing it as employed in Fig. 2

While the instant invention maybe adapted for general application in counteracting relative parallel movement of stacked bodies or containers of any type both for storage and transportation, it has particular utility in stacking bodies or containers which are round or other than rectangular in cross-section for transportation. One example of this type of body or container is that employed in the handling and shipment of engines.

Due to the nature and complexity of modern engines and especially aircraft engines, the design and construction of the containers in which these engines are shipped involves skill and expense to provide for the factors that must be considered and compensated for such as weight, corrosion, etc. It is, therefore, desirable to use and reuse these containers as often as possible. Such use and reuse of this type container, as well as the size of the container, gives rise to a transportation problem, viz., the number of freight cars that is required to transport any given number of these containers filled and empty because heretofore only one layer or course of containers, empty or filled, has been loaded on each car. By using the present device two and sometimes more layers or courses of containers may be loaded on a single car thereby reducing the number of cars required by at least half.

At present, with the standard freight car, it is only "ice possible to safely handle six or eight of these containers per car, since prior to this invention no means was available to permit the stacking or tiering thereof. It is, therefore, the primary purpose of this invention to provide a means whereby containers of the type mentioned and others as well may be stacked in tiers or layers on conventional flat cars without danger of relative parallel movement during shipment. In this Way the number of containers per car may be, and is, at least doubled.

Reference being now had more particularly to the drawings the numeral 10 designates a container of the type presently employed for the storage and shipment of engines. These containers or tanks 10 are preferably of metal construction and are cylindrical in shape. They comprise a pair of identical halves 11 each of which is substantially semi-circular in cross-section. An angle 12 defines the outer surface of each container half 11 adjoining the edge or lip thereof to which it is aflixed, as

by welding or the like, thereby creating a lateral flange 13 which projects outwardly of said edge or lip and completely encircles the container half. The flange 13 is provided with a number of holes regularly spaced one from another to' the end that when two container halves -11 are brought together with their respective flanges 13 in abutment the holes of one flange will align with those of theother. In this way the two halves 11 can readily be connected and assembled into the final container 10 by means of the bolts 14 which transpierce the holes thus provided in the flanges 13.

While other methods may be employed for the assembly or connection of the container halves 11 that above-- described is the one presently being used. An airtight joint is desired between the sections 11 so that the engine stowedin a container 10 may be said to be vacuumpacked. To this end a rubber gasket or seal 15 is interposed and held between the flanges 13.

In order to facilitate the handling of each assembled container 10 and the maintenance thereof in the proper position the lower container half 11 thereof is equipped with a base platform or frame. 17. This frame 17 preferably consists of a series of transverse strips 18 welded or otherwise secured to the bottom of the container and several longitudinal, inwardly faced angles 19 which extend the full length of the container 10, and one aflixed to the extremities of the several strips 18. A number of verticalbracket plates or braces 20 are aligned on'each side of the lower container half 11 and are welded or otherwise aflixed at their ends to the wall ofsaid container half and to the associated angle 19. Thus a cradle is established in which the lower, half 11 of the tank 10 is permanently mounted.

A wooden runner or skid 21 is secured, as by the bolts 22, to the undersurface of each angle 19, and it is the bottom surfaces of these skids 21 which support container 10. The handling or movement of the container 10 is facilitated and made easier and safer by the skids 21, and the container per se is protected against damage.

The above-described container per se forms no part of the present invention but is illustrative of a common, present day container employed for the purposes set forth. Hence, the particular construction described hereinabove may be extensively modified or varied without affecting or limiting the scope of this invention.

As already pointed out this invention contemplates the stacking of bodies in tiers and the retention thereof so stacked. To this end each upper container half 11 is provided with at least two peripheral flanges 23, one aflixed or secured to the container half near each end thereof. Each of these flanges 23 terminates in a transverse rim 24 resting substantially parallel to the container wall. The end edges of angular bracket plates 25 are 3 rum! weldedor otherwise immovably secured to the nm 24, one on either side of the longitudinal axis of the container in such a way that one section of each of said bracket plates lies in a horizontal plane while the other wi e ds rt ;al plane; Both pl t st assopiated with. each rim 24 rest.;in planesusubstantially v Waite the container 10;, hencethe upper ,facesof the; fopnonmore bracket plates 25of each container are.di s-,.

posed innone horizontal plane. thereby I creating, in .efiect, a platform to coact with the skids 21 of a second or super posed :oontainer 10- thereby providing means to support tinupper containeronthe lower. Manifestly, the upper. oontainenlfl, when thus stacked,, rests solely. on its skids ZLwhich liein flush abutment againstthe horizontal sec:

tiopnjoflthe brackets 25. Moreover, in thisposition all ofjheocontainers in the. one stack must be disposetl in thesame vertical plane.

However, as additional containers ltlare stacked, or.

when -it'is desired to transporttwo or more layers .or moi containers while stacked as above described,

itjs nceessary to anchor or secure the several containers inn stackor tier one to the other against relative parallel movement. Since the anchoring orsecuring of the first or lower-containers 10 to the, ground or floor in case iris ta'pers-tothe underlying container orzcontainers that-the instant invention directs itself.

Tothat end this invention proposes a relatively thin, 18ml; plate 26 having arelatively large number of inte- 31ml claws or teeth 27 projecting from one face thereof.

' Those-teeth. can be eachcreated by making a pair of or cross cuts in the plate 26 and bending back thagportion ofthe plate which defines said cuts to'a positioosubstantially normal to theface of the plate. In this manner either a tooth having a single spur or, as is preferred, a, tooth having four individual spurs may be created funerary pair of intersecting cuts. It is to .be noted that all Yleteeth-27 project outwardlyv from the same face of theplate 26 so that the opposite face of said plate remains smooth or flat.

Alongone of its edges the plate 26 is provided with a painof integral cars 28 which lie in the same plane asthe plate? but that portion of said plate defining these carsextendslaterally beyond the toothed area of the plate. Theouter end portions of the ears 28 are rebent angularly. inoppositionto the projecting teeth 27 to create a pair of j channeled lips 29 which open toward the flatbr smooth face of the plate 26. These lips 29 are arranged tospan ,tlierim 24 of a flange 23 and to receive the inner edge of the horizontal section of one of the adjacent brapk et plates .25 and thereby attach theinner edge of the plate 26 the corresponding edge of the bracket plate. Aplatel is placedon each of the four or more angular brnckets.25..of every lower or underlying container 10 withthe smooth faces thereof in flush abutment with the horizontal surfaces of said brackets and the teeth 27 of each plate projecting upward. At the same time the inner edge of the horizontalsurface of each bracket 25 is received in the channelled lips 29 of the plate 26, said lipsg2! being disposed on either side of the fiange23 with the rim 24 of said flange snugly received within the space which separates, said lips. It may, therefore, be said'that the plates 26 are each immovably mounted on, so as to become, in effect, an integral part of, its associatedbracket and hence the lower tier container itself.

To insure the immovable attachment'of the ends of each plate 26 to its associated bracket 25 both of its ends when installed extend beyond the corresponding edges of the associated bracket; This permits the extended ends to be bent downwardly and inwardly whereby they engage the under surface of the bracket 25 at its opposite edges. In furtherance of this flexing, of the end portions of the plate 26, at least one medial slot 30 may be provided therein, one in each of these ends of the plate 26 thereby forming several ears to engage under the edges of the bracket plate 25.

With the anchoring or securing plates 26 thus positioned one on each of the 'brackets25nof every underlying container, the next upper container is disposed upon the upstanding teeth 27 oft-plates 26- which thenbecome embedded in.-the skids 21 of the. upper container. All lateral or parallel movement of the upper containers relative to underlying containers isthereby eliminated. Following or repeating this practice many containers can be arranged in tiers or stacks, the container of each being disposed in the same vertical plane.

It is to be noted that the present invention is concerned primarilywith the elimination of relative lateral movement between the. stacked containers. In instances where-the weight or mass of thecontainers 10 is not sufiicient to retain the; stack or stacks against relative vertical displacement, additional means such as straps or slings might be employed in conjunction with the anchoring plates. In this case the-straps or slings are tightly drawn around a group or stackof containers and fixed at each of its ends to the deck or floor on which the stacked containers are placed so as to eliminate the possibility of vertical displacement of the containersltl and thereby supplement the instant securing devices.

What is claimed is:

l. Ananchoring device comprising a substantially rectanguiar plate having a plurality of upstanding integral claws each terminatingina plurality of points and projecting from one face onlyv thereof, a pair of integral;

lips spaced apredetermined distance one from the. other and depending from one edge only of said plate, and a pairof ears integrally extending from both ends of the plate, said earsbeing adapted to be bent in the direction ofthe lips aforesaid whereby they cooperate with said lips in clampingly engaging the plate to an associated supporting structure.

2. A. device for anchoring one body against lateral movement relative to another like body comprising a substantially fiatplate to be'disposed between said bodies and having a number ofclaws struck from one face thereof to engage one of said bodies, a pair of spaced channelled lips integrally formed along one edge of said plate, and a pair of spaced ears integrally projecting from at least one of the remaining edges of said plate, said ears being; adapted to be bent laterally relative to the plate in-thedirection of and towards the lips aforesaid to thereby clampingly cooperate with said lips whereby the plate is secured to the other of said bodies.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 797,083 Stowe Aug. 15, 1905 999,828 McNaughton Aug. 8, 1911 1,150,074 Stevens Aug. 17, 1915 1,202,046 Freeze Oct. 24, 1916 1,514,512 Fisher Nov. 4, 1924. 1,529,413 Anderson Mar. 10, 1925 1,593,408 Honigbaum July 20, 1926.- 1,638,612 Baus Aug. 9, 1927 1,646,982 Schlafly Oct. 25, 1927 1,758,098 Williams May 13, 1930 1,913,864 Walper June 13, 1933 1,953,303 Kohlmann Apr. 3, 1934 2,267,417 Nilson Dec. 23, 1941 

